New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-25
4 QUEER DREAM
r. J.. STEVENSON WAS THE DREAMER.
From, Scribner's Magazine.


Here is one exactly II came 10 him. II seemed
he was the son of very rich and wicked man, the
owner Of broad acres and most damnabc temper.
I he dreamer tand that the had lived much
abroad purpose to avoid his parent and when az
length e returned 10 England II was To ind MIN mar
RED again young wife. who supposed to SUI
fer cruelty and loahe her yoke. Because ~ his mar
riarc ms the dreamer tpdStinctly under stood 10
was desirable for father and son to have meeting
and Yet both being proud and both angry, ifliBet
wcnld condc>ccnd upon visit Mc-r they dld &C.
cOrdngly In dcsOlate. sandy country by The sea- ana
there they quarrecd and the SON stang by some m
tOlcrablc insult, struck down tho father dead No
SUSPICION was aroused the detl man was found ana
buried and the dreamer succeeded 10 The broad estates
and found himself Installed nnder the sane "pof ~'h
his fathers widow, for whom no provision had been
made These two lived very much alone. a. people
may after bereavement. sat down 10 table together,
shared the long evenings and daily better fehds
untll seemed g. him OF sudden thar she was prying
aboUt dangerous matters that she had conceived Lo
OF his guilt, Thai she watched him ana tried nlr
with questions. lie drew back from her company
men draw back from plecipce suddenly discovered;
and Yet strong was the aftrWiipn thai he Vthld
drift again and again into the old intimacy. and again
and again DO startled back by some suggestive ques-
lion ar some mex pllcahr meaning N her eye So they
lived At purposes life fun Of broken dialogue.
rhihcnsng ganccs ami suppressed ptSS"n; Until ono
day, he saw the woman slipping from the house in a
veil. followed her 10 the station followed her I'm the
train tlc seaside country and thc s.ndhs
10 the place whore the mGr.!cr was done. Then
she hogan .rOpc among the bcnS. he watching her,
HAT upon his face and presently she had scnc hing In
her h3nd-l cannot remember what 10 Wa. Int 81 was
deadly evidence against the drcamc-and ~ She held
VI 10 took at H. perhaps from the shock Of The dis
covery her foot slipped and she hung at some peril
ON The brink of the tan sand wIca'l>. lie had no
thought but 10 spring mp and rescue her; and there
they stood face face. She with thai deadly matter
openly IN her hand-hi> presence on the spot an
other Ink of proof II Was plain She was about 10
speak ut this was more than he could bear-hc could
bear 10 bc lost, but not 20 talk of il with his destroyer
and he cat hcr short With trivial conversation.
Arm IN they returned iose her 10 the train. talking
- 10. IN, fIa anna
carriage SAT- down to dinner and passed The evening
In the drawing room o, in the past Bur suspense and
fcai drummed In The drcamcr's bosom. She has not
denounced me yet his thoughts rdn-" wien VIII
She dcnounre me- wiz ii bc tomorrow ," And II
not tomorrow. nor the next day. nor The next;
and their life settled back the Old terms only that
shr seemed knicr than before and that, for him,
the burihrn of his suspense and wonder grew daily
moro nnhcarabc. 80 that he wasted away like a man
with a disease Once. indeed. he broke all boInds of
dcccucy. seized an occasion when she Wa abroad ran
sachpd her ROOM and al last. hidden away among her
Jewels. found the danlning evidence There he stood,
holding TIL, thing which was hi, lifc in the hollow
Of his hand, aud mMvclling at her incOnseqqcnt be-
hayor, that She should seek and keep. and yet not
II and then the door opened and behold herself
once more they stood eye TO eye with The evidence
them and once more she raised 10 him faco
brimniug WIKI some communication: and once more
he shed away from speech and cut her Off But be-
fore hc left the room. which IT, had turned upside
dow n he laid back his death warrant where he had
fou nd ami that her face ightened up The next
thing he heard she explaining 10 her maid. with
ingenious alSchOod, the disorder OF her things.
Flesh and blood would bear the strain no longer and
| think 1t the next morning Though chronology
Is always hazy ia the theatre of the mind that he
burst from MS reserve. They had Occn beakfastng
together corner OF great. parquelied sparely
furnished room of many windows. all the
time Of the meal She had tortured him
with sly illusions; and no sooner were tho
scrv ants gone and thcsc twr proasunisiS alone to-
gcthcr than he leapcd 10 rs feet She, TOO. sprang
M with a pale face with pale face she heard him
o. no rayed ont his complaint; Why did She torture
~ he
ua encny TO her: why dil She net de-
no,nce him at once! what sisnihcd her whole be-
haviorl Why did She torture hDn and yet again,
why did she torture him. And when he had done
sbc tcll upon her knees, aud with out>rcched hands,
= DO you not underestimate She cried ] love yoG,p
Uereupon, with pang Of wonder and mercantile
,o,i,ht The dreamer aw0kc. His mercantile delight
US not of long endurance, for It soon became plain
hat I'm this spirited tale there were mularkeia bls
elements which IS just the reason Why You have It
tcrc sn briefly told But his wonder has SIN kept
rouinc and think the readers Will also II he
.dcr II ripely. For now he sees why speak of tho
ttle people Of substantive inventors and perform
,rs To the end they had kept their secret. will go
Ia ,or rho dreamer (haVing excellent grounds for
aiming his candor) that he had no guess whatever
n the motive of the woman-the hinge of the whole
ycll. Invented plot-untl the instant OF that highly
Iraratic declaration. 1t was not his tale IL thu
t,te rhoules That lac seemed himself to play part
n II Ia be and suffer IN the person of the hero, Il
mi an oddly Of this particular dream at which, IN.
iced | wonder little, and which seek to explain by
,nalopv In reading plain tale, burdened with M
,svchology and knowingly and truthfuly told, we
omctiues deceived for moment, and take the emO-
ions Of the hero for own. II is our testimony TO
he spirit and truth Of the performance 30, perhaps,
vas THIS Illusion OF the dIeamers, and as no was
sleep he doubtless the easily and the more
,crfrctIy deceived But observe; not only was tho
ecret kept. the story was told with really gulcful
RATS manship The conduct OF both aftors IS TN the
ant nhrascl phy,iolugically correct and the emotion
p,ly graduated up 10 the surprising climax. am
wakc now and | know this trade, and vet cannot
,cttcr IL. I am awake. and live by this h,sine
md vct I could not Guido could not even iu5-that
rafty artlfcc (as OF same old, expert
need carpenter OF plays some p'hncN
~ Sardou by which tho Same situation u
vice presented aud the two actor, tvice hTuusM fi's
a face over the evidence. only ORG 10 J., in re- hs"
nee ia his and these In the.c due o"'~' no '"'st
ramatlc first